I'll Be Here
by Aerial312
Summary: Set during Eclipse. Jasper checks in on Alice after she's upset about missing the intruder in Bella's room.


Title: I'll Be Here (1/1)  
Author: Aerial312

Pairing: Alice/Jasper  
Rating: PG-13  
Category: Angst/Romance  
Disclaimer: I own nothing…I just borrow.  
Feedback: Greatly appreciated.

Timeline: During Eclipse right after it is discovered that another vampire has been in Bella's room. Jasper's POV.

I could feel the anxiety before I reached the door. I was expecting her to be upset, but the intensity of her worry took me by surprise. It was going to be a long night. I opened the door slowly and slipped into the room, pausing by the door.

Alice perched on the corner of my desk, knees drawn to her chest, staring straight ahead out the window. She hadn't noticed me come in. Her tiny frame was statue still; she was only taking a breath every thirty seconds or so. I was pretty certain I could go stand right between her and the window and she wouldn't notice.

It was rare for Alice to get into a funk, but when she did, it was profound. Perhaps it's just my perspective, caring for her so deeply, and feeling things differently than anyone else. But when Alice is upset about something, it breaks my heart. It takes everything I have not to rush across the room, take her in my arms, and make everything better.

But I know my love. I know that she likes to work through things for a little while on her own. Hence escaping to the peace and quiet of our room while I chatted through strategy with the rest of the family sans Edward. Emmett had volunteered to take first watch at Bella's tonight. Without saying it out loud, he acknowledged that I needed to be with Alice tonight. And I was very thankful for it.

I crossed toward the bed, and took a seat on the soft purple comforter, leaning my head against the post as I stared at my wife. Her face gave no hint of the turmoil raging through her mind. It gave no hint of anything at all. Her golden eyes were blank. They always went blank when she had a vision. Usually it was just a momentary blip, no more than a few seconds. Occasionally it was a little longer. Everyone always laughed it off; Alice was daydreaming again. I was the only one who ever got to see this. There was never a happy reason for Alice to lose herself in her visions for hours at a time.

It was hard to read her when she was like this. As when I approached the door, I'd get a strong overall mood, but there was no nuance. When she gets lost in her visions her mind races faster than my meager power can keep up with. I prefer the subtleties, especially when it comes to Alice.

After a while, about fifteen minutes really, but it felt like hours, I moved to lean against the window sill. I hadn't realized I was playing with the quilt, but when I let go, there was a small hole where my fingers had twisted over and over. Alice was not going to be happy about that if she noticed.

Alice's golden eyes looked right through me as I sat between her and the window. I wasn't going to be able to let her stay in her own little world much longer. Edward would be home soon, and however briefly he was here, he'd be looking for more answers. She needed some time back in the real world before he returned.

"Alice," I called softly. She didn't answer. This didn't surprise me. Sometimes I could just call her back to reality, but often it took more than that.

I stood, and stepped in beside her, swiftly wrapping my arm around her tiny huddled figure. With ease, I lifted her clear off the desk. I could feel the second she snapped back to reality: her body jerked slightly, and she took a sharp intake of air, her breathing gradually returning to an almost human rate. I pressed my lips to her spiky, black hair, and lay us down on the bed, hugging her tightly. Alice let her head fall into the crook of my neck. Lying in bed was the only time she could reach to rest her head in what was one of her favorite spots. Her legs snaked between mine, and she wrapped her arm around my waist pulling herself closer into my chest until there was no space between us. We lay like this for a while. Alice and I could lie like this for hours. Unfortunately, we didn't have hours tonight.

"Edward's about to leave Bella's. He'll be home in two minutes," Alice said finally, breaking the silence. Her face was still buried in the curved marble of my neck.

I kissed her forehead, saying nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"I have nothing new to tell him. I didn't see it then, and I can't see anything now," she sighed.

"You'll figure it out," I assured her. "We'll keep her safe.

"There was another vampire in Bella's room, and nothing registered. Nothing."

"Whoever it was knew you wouldn't."

"That's what scares me," she whispered. "How many holes do I have?"

I didn't have a response to that. We weren't the type for false assurances. I pulled her closer to me, kissing her forehead, her cheek, her neck. There was only so long I could deal with my wife in such pain. I drew little circles on the bare skin between the top of her jeans and the hem of her shirt.

Alice took a deep breath, and looked up at me. "Thank you."

I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Alice shifted herself to straddle me, deepening the kiss. I pushed myself up to sit, and gently, reluctantly, pulled us apart.

She pouted, a fake, playful pout.

"We don't have time for that right now," I sighed. "Later."

"Later," she smiled, the sparkle back in those honey colored eyes. She took my hand and gave it a squeeze, looking up at me with a devilish look. "Please tell me that someone else is babysitting Bella's house tonight."

I chuckled, and pulsed her hand in mine. "I'll be here."


End file.
